TURKMENISTAN: FOREIGN MINISTER MEREDOV ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000408 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/31/2019 TAGS: PREL MARR TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: FOREIGN MINISTER MEREDOV ON AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN POLICY, BERDIMUHAMEDOV'S TRIPS TO IRAN AND RUSSIA REF: A. ASHGABAT 0403 ¶B. STATE 29482 ¶C. ASHGABAT 0284 ¶D. ASHGABAT 0294 Classified By: Charge Richard Miles for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Charge met on March 30 with Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov to discuss several bilateral issues and to learn more about President Berdimuhamedov's recent visits to Iran and Russia. Charge briefed Meredov on the Interagency Policy Group's Report on U.S. Policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. Meredov pronounced both the trips to Iran and Russia successful, but did not share anything more than was in the state media. He reiterated the hope that Berdimuhamedov will visit Washington. END SUMMARY. AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN POLICY ¶2. (C) Charge met with Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov on March 30 to discuss a number of issues of bilateral interest, including overflight (Ref A),as well as learn more about President Berdimuhamedov's recent trips to Iran and Moscow. The Charge also used this opportunity to brief Meredov on the recent Interagency Policy Group's Report on U.S. Policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan (Ref B) and left Meredov with a copy of the white paper. Meredov said that Turkmenistan also sees the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan as linked. It would be impossible to solve the issues in Afghanistan without first resolving problems in Pakistan. However, the problems are of a nature that they cannot be solved simply by military means. Social and economic problems must also be tackled. In this vein, Meredov praised the USD 1.5 billion of aid proposed for Pakistan. ¶3. (C) Meredov noted that Turkmenistan donates humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, particularly in the northern part of the country. It constructs schools and hospitals and has other construction projects. He also pointed out that Turkmenistan is building two electro-energy stations and an 85-kilometer railway extension and terminal that starts at Imamnazar. At this terminal, truckloads would be able to be loaded directly onto railcars for shipment south or off-loaded from railcars onto trucks for shipment north. ENERGY RELIABILITY CONFERENCE ¶4. (C) Meredov thanked the United States for its support and co-sponsorship of Turkmenistan's energy reliability 
resolution in the UN. He stressed the importance of U.S. participation at the April 22-23 conference on energy reliability being at the highest possible level. TURKMENISTAN FOREIGN POLICY ¶5. (C) Meredov said that the hallmark of Turkmenistan's foreign policy is expanding foreign contacts and the promotion of good neighborliness and good relations with other countries. Benefits can already be seen in improved relations with Uzbekistan and other neighbors. In addition, there have been positive developments in the European direction. President Sarkozy invited President Berdimuhamedov to visit France this year. Moreover, relations with Italy are expanding with USD 1.5 billion annually in bilateral trade. Meredov said Italy ranks as Turkmenistan's largest EU trading partner. Meredov said he also hoped for a visit by Berdimuhamedov to the United States. MOSCOW VISIT ¶6. (C) Meredov described President Berdimuhamedov's March 23 - 25 visit to Russia as successful, and therefore, important. He said 12 agreements were signed dealing with humanitarian ASHGABAT 00000408 002 OF 002 issues, science, and education. They include mutual recognition of university degrees, links between Russian ports on the Caspian and Turkmenbashy and MOUs on agricultural cooperation and on cooperation between the various law enforcement organs and their counterparts. (NOTE: Supreme Council for Science and Technology Deputy Chairman, Akjeren Allanurova, who was part of the delegation to Russia, told DCM that during the trip there were also meetings with Tatarstan officials. Russian Ambassador Blatov earlier had told us that Russia wants to promote close ties Tatarstan and Turkmenistan. END NOTE.) IRAN VISITS ¶7. (C) President Berdimuhamedov's February 13 - 15 visit to Iran (Refs C and D) as well as the March 11 ECO summit were also both successful, said Meredov. During the February visit, the two sides discussed bilateral cooperation, especially commercial and trade relations. The two countries' bilateral trade amounts to USD 3 billion - primarily gas, oil products, and agricultural goods. Meredov noted that a good deal of Iranian shipping goes through Turkmenistan to points farther north. He stressed that the two countries do not interfere in each others' affairs. Turkmenistan is an associate member of ECO, and like in the CIS, only participates in those activities where it has an interest, such as economic and social questions. FARAP ROAD ¶8. (C) The Charge raised the need to construct a road to the USG-funded border crossing checkpoint at Farap. The road is necessary in order to bring in a scanner for the border post. The State Border Service has approved the construction, but needs approval from the Cabinet of Ministers. The Charge asked for Meredov's help on this approval. ¶9. (C) COMMENT: Meredov did not share anything terribly new during the meeting. Even what he shared on the Iran and Moscow visits hewed closely to the newspaper accounts. Nevertheless, in a country where the decision makers are limited to one or two people, it is important to have regular contact and air issues with them. END COMMENT. MILES